Crime Watch

Another Upper East Side resident became the victim of identity theft. At 9 AM on Thursday, February 6, a 30-year-old man tried to use his bank card, when he was informed that the card had been deactivated. He then discovered that an unknown person in California had used his personal information to obtain a replacement of his bank card, making withdrawals of $7,650 on February 5 and $2,000 on February 6, both transactions taking place in California.

Bag Tag

At 2:50 PM on Tuesday, February 25, a 34-year-old man walked into a department store on Madison Avenue, approached the shelf displaying handbags, and grabbed six of the items being offered. He left the store without paying for the merchandise but was observed by an employee on the store's video camera. The employee pursued the thief, who fled onto 89th Street. The thief began dropping the bags in the street as he was being chased by the employee before he was apprehended by a police officer at 81st Street, arrested and charged with grand larceny. The handbags stolen were a black-and-white Victoria handbag valued at $3,700, a Marcella Grande brown leather and canvas bag priced at $1,250, an orange Victoria handbag worth $1,850, a beige Victoria handbag valued at $1,850, and a Victoria canvas and leather handbag priced at $1,700. The total amount of the handbag haul came to $11,600.

Fur Shame

Someone stole two fur coats from an East Side woman. At 12 noon on Friday, February 21, a 69-year-old Madison Avenue resident noticed that two fur coats she had left in her apartment's hallway on a rack were missing. She said no one had been allowed into her apartment, but a homeless man named James occasionally brought up her packages. The missing garments were a black fur coat valued at $40,000 and a multicolored fur coat priced at $23,000.

Vestibule Varmints

One of a pair of robbers was arrested after mugging a man on East 78th Street. At 6:40 PM on Wednesday, February 26, a 39-year-old man went to an ATM on 86th Street and Lexington after leaving work and was walking to York Avenue when he was approached by a man who asked him questions and attempted to direct him toward East 78th Street. Soon the fast talker was joined by an accomplice, a 30-year-old man, who grabbed the victim, dragged him inside a building, and threw him down on the vestibule floor. The second robber said, "Do not look at us!" and, "I am going to kill you!" Both thieves went through the victim's pockets and took property. The first robber then got a phone call and ran out of the building, leaving the second robber behind. The victim got up and tried to get his property back from the second mugger, who was subsequently arrested and charged with robbery. The property stolen was $590 in cash, a Dolce & Gabbana wallet, an iPhone 5 priced at $300, state and school IDs, and a debit card. The total stolen amounted to $990.

Scottsdale Tale

Someone stole money from a man's checking account without permission or authorization. At 9:34 AM on Saturday, February 22, a 56-year-old man got a call from Chase Bank, advising him that an unknown person had withdrawn $2,850 from his checking account at a Scottsdale, AZ branch of the bank without permission or authorization. The same person also withdrew $6,735 at the same branch to purchase a cashier's check made out to a Peter Fernandez.